The Glass Recycling Challenge returns with prizes, community spirit, and the chance to be the best city! Recycle this November and be part of South Africa’s greener future.
South Africa (04 November 2025) – Across South Africa, glass banks are gleaming in the spring sunshine again as The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC) launches the 2025 #GlassRecyclingChallenge. This countrywide call-to-action runs throughout November, and this year’s target is ambitious: 280 tons of glass collected between Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town. It’s a rallying cry that proves small, everyday habits can add up to something seriously powerful.
Communities have done this before, and done it well. Last year’s challenge saw thousands of people rolling up their sleeves, lugging their bottles, and turning recycling into an unexpectedly joyful community activity. Schools, restaurants, corporates, and passionate residents lined up at glass banks, helping to divert hundreds of tons of bottles and jars from landfills. TGRC hopes to top those numbers this year and reach even more households, neighbourhoods, and workplaces.
It’s also a gentle reminder of just how simple this sustainability win can be. Glass is infinitely recyclable and never loses quality no matter how many times it’s melted down and remade and still, millions of bottles and jars land in landfill every year, often because people underestimate the difference a single stash of empties can make.
With thousands of public glass banks tucked into shopping centres, school grounds, and community hubs across South Africa, participating is as easy as collecting your used glass and dropping it off at your nearest bank. Every contribution helps your city climb the leaderboard, unlocking a little friendly competition as the totals for each region roll in. Psssst, you can find your nearest glass bank here.
Johannesburg was crowned the winner last year, but this time Pretoria and Cape Town are stepping into the ring with determination. And isn’t its fun to see other cities winning things (we see you Cape Town!)
To make things interesting, TGRC is offering R5,000 spot prizes for participants who share their recycling efforts on social media using #GlassRecyclingChallenge. That means selfies, videos or challenging friends, family or your competitors at work! Each post does more than earn bragging rights. It spreads awareness, inspires participation, and reminds others that recycling isn’t a chore, it’s a tiny celebration of impact.
But the challenge goes deeper than environmental stewardship alone. Glass recycling plays a vital role in South Africa’s circular economy, helping thousands of collectors and small-scale entrepreneurs earn income by trading recyclable material at buy-back centres. Every bottle dropped into a glass bank has a ripple effect: it supports livelihoods, reduces waste, conserves natural resources, and saves energy during manufacture. These little victories add up, quietly building resilience where it’s needed most.
“Recycling glass is one of the simplest and most effective ways we can protect our environment and support sustainable communities. Every jar or bottle recycled goes back into the production cycle, saving energy, conserving natural resources, and reducing landfill waste. Through this challenge, we’re showing that sustainability isn’t just a corporate goal – it’s something every South African can do from their own home.” -Shabeer Jhetam, CEO of TGRC
Joining the challenge couldn’t be easier:
- Recycle your glass at a TGRC public glass bank.
- Find your nearest bank online. Find yours here.
- Share your journey using #GlassRecyclingChallenge for a chance to win spot prizes.
- Spread the word and challenge your family, colleagues, school, or community.
So before you toss that empty bottle out with the rubbish this November, pause. It might be your golden ticket, to cleaner neighbourhoods, fewer landfills, stronger recycling networks, and, in some cases, a R5,000 surprise.
Let’s make 2025 the year South Africa shatters records and bottles alike, responsibly, of course.
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